Daniel Ferrito - Missionary Update and Galatians 3

I'm Chris from missions and we got another mission moment this morning as many of you know, we have lost several missionaries over the past year to retirement and other things. And in this past spring, the missions committee voted to take on a new missionary that our church is going to sponsor. So is with great, honor, I introduced and firetto. He is our new missionary effective. This fiscal year to June one, and Dan is going to talk to us about his ministry and why we have chosen to support him. So Dan, welcome to hoosic Valley Community Church. Thank you.

Good morning everyone. Happy Father's Day.

A first, let me just say thank you very much about the Pastors in the missions committee for having me this morning and let me share with you just for a few minutes. So, let me just start by introducing myself. My name is Daniel for real and I am the English Carnation. Pastor at the Chinese Christian Church of Greater Albany so your brothers and sisters there, send you their greetings this morning. But this morning, I want to just missions work. I do the name of the missions, group that I'm a faculty member of is equipping leaders International, which we call Eli, for short, and put the the website up there. But if you just Google equipping leaders International, it'll come up if that you have an interest in looking at that next light, please, And so, you'll have to forgive me. I just got back. I was in Cuba for 8 days. So I'm still kind of getting a little readjusted and this is a little separate from what I do with Eli. But I was in Cuba for 8 Days, training a group of 50-plus pastors and and some of their disciples, a teaching a master's-level doctrine of salvation. Course, and this is the type of missions work now that I'm engaged in training the church and pastors of theological, education to reach the lost and to plant church has a more on that in a second next song, please? Okay, so in the Great Commission, I know sometimes in English, we say the word go, and we think that's a comand, then that's, that's true. But in the Great Commission, in Matthew 28, the command imperative freak is to make disciples until the command to the church is to do that in our local context and also to be doing it of all ethnic, a or nation's most translations will say, Nations in a good translation. But why Jesus is saying is not just like one Church in India, or China or whatever every distinct ethno-linguistic people group has purpose to get glory for himself from, and that happens by the gospel, being proclaimed, churches being planted and a people coming to Faith. Or as a revelation, 5:9 says that Jesus by his blood has purchased for got a people from every tribe language people. And Tom, this is the purpose of missions biblically. Next song, please. Okay, so let me talk about you, PG or unreached people groups. And let me say these are southern baptist IMB for Mission statistics from 2018. And I just want to explain what a yukiji is. A UPG isn't unreached. People group that's any again, distinct, ethno-linguistic people group that is less than 2% confessing Evangelical. But even these numbers, as you can see, I need to be explained, you probably think it will. Why is the United States and Canada on their bees are usually mostly small about a few thousand groups of immigrants who come to United States in urban areas and are insulated. And you can see on top, and this is why I focus on India with my missions work. The number of unreached people groups, even compared to number to China, is almost five times as many at work to use a difference at cystic, a non-denominational, a statistic from Joshua project.net, it's a very good missions. Informational website, there are 36 unreached people groups in the world of 10 million people or more 18 of them are in India. That's a massive amount of people. Next slide, please. So right now because of covid-19 this fall assuming covid continues to decline, all of our training has been done, remotely over zoom and is the model that we follow is short-term trips and we trained Nationals. And in my case, India, although Eli Works in many countries across the world to reach their own people. And so it's a combination of local ownership, but also of the church Universal working together to complete the Great Commission. So, just a few statistics about India, India is about 1.3 and a half, fish billion people, they will surpass China in the next 20 years. For population, China has roughly 100 million Christians. India has far less if we're not even talking about missions. In terms of underage, people groups just population India is somewhere around government statistics for to 6%, but it's actually far less than that because they just say. Will anyone? From Eastern? Orthodox? Roman Catholic? Mormon Jehovah's Witness is a Christian. Do it somewhere around 2% roughly seventy million. Confessing Evangelical Christians in India. Next light, please. Okay. So what we do is we focus on training groups of pastors, and the goal is to help them through theological. Education to a both do the church planting that they're already doing more effectively. And specifically we target Villages and places where there's literally no gospel presents. No one has ever heard the gospel, Indiana called, and villages. We would call them small to medium-sized cities. The first time I went to India, I went to a large City Bangalore in southern idiot. If it's about 15 million people but only the fifth largest city in India. And there are seven of us on the LI faculty and we work with eight groups of pastors networks. It's kind of hard to explain but these are just collections of pastors. Not so much a denomination but And he's kind of a unique setting in the way structured. The smallest of these organizations are hundreds of pastors, the largest are tens of thousands of pastors. And so again, our goal is as Paul says, the Timothy and 2nd Timothy 2 that we are at raining or raising up men of God, who are faithful pass on what you have learned so that the church can continue to complete the Great Commission. And so for example, the current photo this is from an ordinance ordination service of one of the eight groups, not the largest, this is the Christ. Gospel Ministry is also known as the Council of reformed churches in India and they currently have over 5,000 ordained pastors and thousands in training and thousands more who have applied Now, ye Li is committed to not controlling their unfortunately Indian other places if I could turn it this way, there's been an issue historically, with Western missionaries of colonial-style missions, like wanting to control. So what we do is and all we do is we pay for the trainings, the pastures are not charged anything, but we're working in Port in Provost areas. So they don't have very much do everything from even the zoom Gatherings that we do together and all the equipment that's necessary for that. The internet power goes out, routinely and water electricity or every day in India is kind of rolling. So we buy backup generators. Every course we teach both for our set list of pastoral certification courses and other courses outside of that are all translated into the languages that pastors speak. And they have their given a hard copy of this. If they have their own notes, every one of our groups has multiple languages. So when we train, we can only do one group have one language at a time with interpreters the bigger groups in India. Have almost every state churches and pastors that they're from in the north. Hindi is the major language. It's the national language of India, but in the South, they hate Hindi. So they speak different languages in the state of Karnataka, which is a new state for us there. Some photos, here are coming up after this. So the trainings that we're done there, the language is kannada. I mistakenly the first time, I went called call the Canada and was immediately corrected, but it's it's kannada. Let me give you just another statistic. This is from the largest group that we work with serve India Ministries. Their leader is a man named Ebenezer Samuel. A very, very smart gifted graduated Southern Seminary PhD. And so his vision is that they would like to have 20,000 self-supporting independent pastors to plant five churches each year. Reaching the goal of 100,000 church has planted in those unreached Villages. So we have been working with them for years to certify their passes through our training and we've gotten to the point where they are now self-replicating in this area. And so one thing we're looking to launch, next year is to do a doctor of ministry level education for their upper echelon. Leaders of this group has 4500 graduates from their program that they have taken over from us and are at this moment currently training 6700 pastors they have play. Did over twelve thousand churches and are working in over 50,000 villages to plant future churches. If you can go just to the Yankees, I am out of time. I also want to mention that all of these groups have other things they do. Besides planting churches of this is relief effort during covid, getting Bibles out. Giving food after this. There's a picture of some, this is an orphanage. Almost every Pastor in India has some sort of orphanage, especially if they're in the bigger cities, there are so many orphans in India. You could not believe, but let me just say, thank you very much for your time. This morning, my time is gone. I'll be in the back. If anyone would like more information, I send out newsletters regularly and if you're interested, I have both a literature that you can take. And if you're interested in learning more about partnering with me, I would be glad to speak with you. Thank you very much.

Quite a Ministry that Daniel has, those of you who may be in our church building during the day or sometimes, even at night, you hear somebody screaming downstairs on Zoom. That's his brother who teaches classes about resume uses our building as well. So, happy Father's Day.

Are you happy? Are you a father? Are you happy father all the time? Not all the time. Why is that? We sang a few songs about a good good father, right that's not us. That's the heavenly father. We can be a good father but we're talkin about the heavenly father. We sing some mother songs about fatherhood. What we need to understand is the plan that God has reached and everyone of us, we're going to continue in Galatians, the book of Galatians this morning. So, if you turn the Galatians Chapter 3, The Apostle Paul who wasn't physically, a father had no by a lot of logical children himself. Although had children in the ministry that he was concerned with children in the ministry that he was encouraging and giving information to on how to continue to live your member last week. As we looked at. Glacier 2 chapter 1 chapter 2, Paul gave an affirmation about his own faith. I think that's important for us as fathers if our children do not know where we stand with God. Why not? They need to hear it, they need to understand that they need to that. They don't, they not may not believe it. If we haven't told them as a child. Because the problem is, once we get older, it's a little harder to believe some of this stuff cuz we think we've got it figured out, we become adults, right? But the Apostle Paul, and he gave his personal affirmation here in chapter 3 and chapter 4. He gives a a doctrinal, doctrinal explanation. He shows the relationship between the law and Grace. Remember the judaizers were coming in, the judaizers, were trying to change things back. Get rid of this Grace thing that was just too simple. We have to go back to the wall. There there's something that we have to do. In order to make this thing happen, the Salvation happened and have the grace or are they? The love of God upon us. And really, the only thing that you and I have to do is believe believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And thou shalt be saved as what scripture tells us, right? Believe So here's my question to everyone. Do you believe I hope so? Because that's the beginning. Now once we believe, what do we do? Once we believe that's where the work then begins to come into the pike. I was noticing on Daniels list of United States and why that number is United States. We are it in the Northeast. We are part of that numbers that two to three percent, you know that We are the least evangelized area in the nation. New York, Vermont New York, the Capital District of New York and Vermont. We are there. What are we doing with that is everyday? Is another day is do we just continue on? Look what Paul is saying? Inflation is chapter 3. What if he said, oh foolish Schaghticoke Indians. You guys are welcome. I'm glad I'm not from Schaghticoke. All foolish New Yorkers who has Bewitched you that you should not obey the truth.

Somebody else is teaching us, something else, you're being taught other things. So Paul is throwing that up. Father's we need to understand as leaders in our household As Leaders of our families that we need to be showing forthe that love of God in the ways of God, every we are cuz little eyes are watching. Little eyes, are paying attention to what's going on. Little ears are hearing what's being said. So who has Bewitched you that you should not obey the truth before whose eyes is Jesus Christ? Was clearly portrayed among you as crucified You want to believe but now you're following something different. You're going a different way. Because somebody told you something different which was pleasing to the ears. More so than this walk with Christ. I walk with Christ, pretty much my whole life. I walked off of the path of Christ. I'm still his child, but I walked off the path and price a few times and it's not fun, it's not pleasant, it's not where I want to be. Because when we walk with God, yes, the road may get strong with with trials and tribulations, the Devils doing everything. He can to trip us up But who died just over those trials, who guys is over those tribulations. Is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We see in chapters chapter 3, verse 1 through verse 14. Paul's giving an examination. It does US good to examine ourselves to make sure that our spiritual experience is valid. I'm going to say something real quick, okay. I understand the heart with which it comes.

I don't really care what you believe. if it's not in line with God's beliefs,

Who's right? You were God. I know who's right in my opinion, but you got to make that opinion for yourself. So I really don't care what not that I won't listen, but when it comes to is what, here's my opinion. And here's what God says, God is going to win in my life. Do I always follow God? No, I do not. You know why? Cuz I'm human just like you Island New Yorker. Imma Schaghticoke in East, the only in the whatever you want to call me. Right, I'm one of those. we're here but thirty some years ago God called us to this area for a reason and I didn't understand it then but when I get here, and I find out that we are in the least evangelize place in the nation is like, okay, well that explains a few things that explains why when we hit a wall, many time and instead of just quitting cuz it's it's We live in a society today where is easy to quit? I haven't noticed you don't like it. I want to quit something. I'm going to quit going to do something different instead of fighting with God. Jonathan and Abner. You've heard the story follow along and on Wednesday night you'll hear some more Jonathan and Abner with God the two of them with God took on the Philistines and Juan Can solve a mess. A multitude of armies to take him off. His eyes were not on God, his eyes was on. Let me get a lot of guys, then we can go fight the Philistines. Jonathan says his son. So you know what happened? You and I can do this with God. We can do this. and with God, we can Doesn't mean we're not going to get a scrape. It doesn't mean something's not going to happen, it's going to happen. Something's going to happen but God will see us through. What do you think? Paul starts off of Galatians, you foolish people.

But Paul is saying it in his God's word, so you better. Listen up, right? Who has Bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth before. Whose eyes. Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed verse to. This only, I want to learn from you. Did you receive the Spirit by The Works of the law or by the hearing of faith? Good question. First three, are you so foolish having begun in the spirit? Are you now being made perfect by the flesh? What does Scripture say? He who began a good work in me will W. Perfect it. Till when The end. But you know what's going to happen? The flash has to stay out of it. That's a hard one. In then, allow the holy spirit to guide the Holy Spirit directs, allow the Holy Spirit to take us where he wants to take us.

but when it doesn't line up with our own wants and our own wishes, our own desires, We get Bewitched. We get me, which I have sat around for 30 years in the ministry, 40 years in the ministry, and I watched multitudes of people be Bewitched by the things of the world. Why? Because the things of the world Sparkle, the things of the world are shiny, the things of the world, catch your eye and a things have God, doesn't always Sparkle right away. because now we see through a glass dimly, but one day, We'll see face-to-face in Al all makes sense and we'll look back and go do we need to be doing that. Examine everybody else? Don't take the word of God and read something in the word of God says, you see? I was right, because probably you weren't right. If that's your attitude, maybe God is taking the word of God, it and molding it within you to make you what he wants you to be.

Not what you want to be. Dad. Remember, growing up. You going to help me this morning? What? Erin when you were growing up? What did you want to be when you grew up? A left fielder for the Yankees. All right? How'd that work out for you? They didn't call you yet faced. Anybody else, her be what you want to be when you grow up?

You got to go out South and do that around here. Got too many Hills. Long-distance Farm. Anybody else come on? Skip A dairy farm. What you did that for awhile. Good choice. Was it. Michael Biddle The Beatles. By the way, they're leaving us here in a few weeks, but what did you want to be when you grew up?

when you grow up,

Yeah.

A lawyer.

Our wishes when we were little kids. If we're stuck with them, when we're small, what happens? We all be different than what we probably are. Right area might be like, at least I might be like in that meeting. Maybe are in. At least I may not have met up, right? Cuz you left fielder for the Yankees this year.

God wants us to take our abilities. God wants us to take the talents within its in use them, not for our benefit. But for the benefits of those around us, Paula say, hey, examine yourself, first three, again, old foolish having begun in the spirit. Are you now being made perfect by The Flash? Are you allowing the flash to guide you and direct you with what the spirit began. When, when did you take back from God? What you gave him? When did you take away from God? Say Lord. Here's my life. Take it. Use it for your honor and For Your Glory. When did you take that? Back at what point in time? Did you can you say? Well this was it when I finally realized I think I know more than most.

First war, have you suffered so many things in vain? If indeed, it was in vain, therefore, he who supplies the spirit to you and works miracles among you does he do it by The Works of the law or by the hearing of faith. How did you get to where you are today? By the law. Or by faith.

Without faith. It is impossible to please God. Write without faith week, we don't have what we hope to have, I have what I have in Jesus Christ because of my faith. I have what I have in life because of my faith in God who has provided me, With all things that I need. I might not have everything I want, but I got everything I need. And then some, I got stuff. I don't even need. Come over, I'll show you my trailer out back of the house full of stuff. I'm organizing that still, I've taken a break from it for a week or so, but I got to get back to it and get it organized some more because I'm having a hard time finding some of my stuff that I want to use. But here's a funny thing about when I'm going through looking for some stuff that I am looking for. I find other stuff that's where that is.

Anybody else done that? In your side of the side. So, you know, okay, this is where it's at. So now I can use it and then when you go back to the Nita is like, what, where did I set that now because of all the stuff that we do, what we do that with our spiritual life, we do that with the things you got tweet, we take them to God, gives we sit over here, I'll come back to that later and put it there and then when we need is, like, will wear it. Where did I put God? Help me. And God says I did help you. But you said it aside, you you been Bewitched by the way, is I like that word? You been Bewitched by the ways of the world, you're allowing the ways of the world to enter into your life and guide you. The philosophies, the teachings of the world, get away from that, get back with God job first, if it doesn't line up with the word of God, You better be aware. So what else he goes on first 666 just as Abraham believed God and it was a can of him for righteousness. Therefore know that only those who are a faith are sons of Abraham. What was the story in Genesis chapter 6? Er, When when God said Genesis chapter, 16 is mail-in. Abraham are Ishmael and Isaac. But when God said to Abraham, here's what I want you to do by pack up your stuff and go to a far country. First question, we're going to ask you as well, where to God. I don't know which direction we're going. And got. So you just take off and I'll show you when you get there. It really doesn't matter. You go north you pretty much going to get there and have to go all the way around the world. Sometimes we take the long way, don't we sometimes when God tells us to do, so I'm just doing it. Wait, we take the long way and we get into trouble. We get it a detours, we get into issues. And then who we used to get mad at. We don't get mad at ourselves, we get mad at God. God, why why did you bring me this way? And God may bring us through some trials and tribulations to teach us a thing or two. Do you know a thing or two about a thing or two? We all like to think we know something. God brings us through so Abraham was there. Abraham also was told, Hey, listen, you're going to have a child in through this child your seed. Will be blessed, not your seeds. Your seed. Speaking of the birth of Jesus Christ. God knows that he knows what's in your life years out from now he knows what's coming years. Why would we want to follow him? Why would we want to follow Jesus? It's okay. God guide me directly. If you know everything about me, I need to follow you because you're going to take me in the right path as opposed to following the devil one day at a time. We had a good time today. I don't feel so great today, but we had a good time. The following the devil one day. At a time, we can follow God for eternity. And he will guide us. He will direct us where he wants us to be. 2nd Corinthians 13:5 says this when Paul is telling us to examine ourselves he says Austin 13 test yourself. Do you not know yourselves that? Jesus Christ is in you unless indeed you are Disqualified. I moved around a lot when I was a kid. You know, that story. Moved here, move there different schools, had to go into a different School, played Sports my whole life, but had to go into a different school and had to make my way back onto a team that I was starting in a different town of different place. So I move to another town. Here we go. Again, got to work your way. You don't get there right away. Usually that that they got to examine you. They got a test. They got to see whether you are qualified for this position that somebody else has and over the years that was there before you and the problem is when you knock somebody out of their position, All of their friends. No, sort of kind of become your enemies.

We've been friends since first grade kindergarten, I hope I'm your friend. Now, we're on the same team that we need to be friends. We need to work together. And I've seen in in sports football. For example, that was my favorite sport to play. that when somebody was mad at you, As a running back, they wouldn't block their guy, the way that they should. And when they don't block their guy, the way that they should in your carrying the ball, you've either got to get away from that guy or you going to get creamed. Usually it's you're going to get cream because they didn't do their Duty. Who does that hurt? Well, the running back on the team. It hurts everybody around the whole body when we don't do our best. Each and every time. Examine yourself as to whether you're the faith. I think we as Christians need to examine our own Faith. Lord, where am I in this face? Not looking around while my faith stronger than Aaron's face. I don't know that. I know where my weaknesses are. You probably know where your weaknesses are too, but when we look at others people's and try to find their weaknesses, it makes our weaknesses. Look a little better, doesn't it sometimes? But that makes our weaknesses even weaker when we don't take care of them. Romans 8:9. The question is, do you have the spirit within Romans 8:9? Sorry, but you are not in the flesh but in the spirit, if indeed the spirit of God dwells in you now, if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, he is not his The spirit is either in you. Or not a man. When do we get the spirit? While the Bible says that we may accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. Jesus comes in and takes up personal residence of spirit into Wells us lives in this Temple. And this Tabernacle this Earthly vessel In all of our Earthly. Vessels are different. Just turn around and look at each other. You can see if we have different Earthly vessels. But when Jesus enters in, he wants to use us for the specific purpose that he created us for to do the work to minister to love him and love others around us.

If you begin in the spirit which is the only way to begin. Are you trying to continue? In the power of the Flash. If so, why? It's frustrating. It's frustrating. Try to walk in the spirit. Do you want? Fulfill the lust of the flesh. When you walk in the spirit you won't fulfill the lust of the flesh. But we need to get tired of walking in the spirit because you see other people that over here maybe having a good time and you want to do some flights leave stuff or boy. It's two steps forward. Three steps back. Right? And we know, we're not where we need to be. We know, we're not. This is why Paul say, hey, you're foolish. He didn't just call him twice. Percy told him over food places than he has. Some are you foolish? We don't want to think we're foolish. We think we we want to thank work. We're probably the best, we can be forgot it and maybe you are. Maybe you are the best you can be for God don't stop there. Be better tomorrow than you are today be better this afternoon, then you are right now. I come to church. How much better can it get than they love your neighbor as yourself. Love those around you. Provide Minister, Reach Out.

First and foremost. Jesus says, if you love me Keep my Commandments.

He gave us 10. Write imagine what this world would be like if we kept those Ten Commandments today, we be in a better place with me. But we got a lot more laws today than just those Ten Commandments, why? Because every time somebody breaks a law, you got to change and do. Here's another rule. I don't know about you. I don't like rules. They State, they hold you back. They keep you in a certain Lane if you will We're going up to camp this weekend coming home, I guess it on Friday. Go ahead. The three older granddaughters with me, Anna, and me, and Harper, and Lolly was in front of us. In the car, I'm behind in the truck and we get the spot lollipop.

Why not? Because there's two solid yellow lines in the middle of the road.

What's that mean? Why can't you just cross over? I'm Or you can. But they're there for a reason. I tried to explain the reasoning with the girls and they just weren't getting it. Why can't you cross over? Cuz I saw the limeys do not pass. I saw the line on both sides by MOS size, do not passed, but when I saw the line is gone from my side, you can pass. If it's say,

I never passed there because I didn't want to never pass or I didn't have a need to. I didn't pass because I didn't want to get home way before her just have to deal with those three girls myself.

Wisdom.

Trying to explain laws to people sometimes can get confusing. but when we live the love of God as he wants us, to people see what God has for us today, but look at his explanation and verse 15 First 15, you said brother and I speak in the manner of man, though. It is only a man's Cub that yet if it is confirmed. No, and no one knows or adds to it but to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He does not say 2 seeds to Abraham and his seed, the seed of David to see. If, Isaac the seed of David, the seed of Jesus Christ was his promise made as of many, but as of 1 into your seed, who is Christ, why are we here today this together? When we look at our own family, we got to realize our responsibility is to show forth Christ to those closest to us or family or friends, and then we can take it outside if we're not doing that, it's not going to happen. Outside normally. We need to do it in our homes, to take care of that faith of God in their homes, and allow it to lose out to those around us. And when we share the faith and allow God to do his work, I'm not the Holy Spirit, I have some days. I wish I was the holy spirit cuz I would change a lot of things. They may not be good. Can I see things as a pass Tracy things that as a leader is like, come on, just give it to God. Cuz he knows best a man. Why don't we do it then if we know that, why don't we do it? Well usually because we all want, as Bob Richardson used to say, we all want our pound of Flesh. You hurt me, I'll show you.

Jesus, and you hurt me. I'll show you. I'll show you my love. I'll show you the way that I'm going to bleed and share and shed my blood for whosoever will. May come for the seed. I've Abraham to the seed of David, to the seed of Jesus Christ, father, we thank you we. Thank you for your goodness. Your love and your mercy upon us, help us to be the leaders in our home, fathers and mothers, moms and dads. All of us that we need to be not how we want to be. That's been the problem. But help us to be the leaders as we need to be according to your word. When we do that, you will bless us. When we do that you will guide us. When we do that, you will direct us and whatever what better position to be in there where you take us on this road to life, take care of them. As you see fit, help us to leave our burdens at the foot of the cross. In Jesus name, we